m(To draw a four sided outline requires four mouse clicks before the close operation: origin, first end point, second end point, and third end point then close to complete the figure back to the origin.)

This page presents a simple sequence of creating a basic drawing, from a blank document to a printed design. It assumes that you have [[installation|installed]] LibreCAD and have opened it to a new default blank drawing. It introduces quite a few LibreCAD concepts, and links to other pages that explain these.

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You can download and unzip [[File:Carport.zip]] to compare our results with what the authors of this document saved.

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[[File:LibrecadLogoGrayHiRes.png|320px|right]]

+

This page presents a simple sequence of creating a basic drawing, from a blank document to a printed design. It assumes that you have [[installation|installed]] LibreCAD and have opened it to a new default blank drawing. It introduces quite a few LibreCAD concepts, and links to other pages that explain these.

+

You can download and unzip [[File:Carport.zip]] to compare your results with what the authors of this document saved.

= Sketching =

= Sketching =

Line 16:

Line 16:

[[File:CarportFreehand.jpg|800px]]

[[File:CarportFreehand.jpg|800px]]

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== Start a drawing ==

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= Start a drawing =

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# Start LibreCAD

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# Start LibreCAD -

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# First you might want to decide about your application preferences using [[LibreCAD_Quick_Start_Guide/Customizing_LibreCAD#Appearance|Options/Application Preferences/Appearance]]

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# Check your version via the Help/About menu item - the example here have been created with version 2.1.3

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# First you might want to decide about your application preferences using [[LibreCAD_Quick_Start_Guide/Customizing_LibreCAD#Appearance|Options/Application Preferences/Appearance]] (in Version 2.0.9 Edit/Application Preferences)

## For this example the background color has been changed to "white"

## For this example the background color has been changed to "white"

# Save the default "unnamed document 1" as "CarportEast" using the "File/Save" Menu

# Save the default "unnamed document 1" as "CarportEast" using the "File/Save" Menu

# Check that the save was successful by Quitting LibreCAD, and restarting it. The saved file "CarportEast.dxf" should show up in the "File/Recent Files" Menu

# Check that the save was successful by Quitting LibreCAD, and restarting it. The saved file "CarportEast.dxf" should show up in the "File/Recent Files" Menu

# Reopen the file and close the "unnamed document 1" by clicking the circled x in the tab.

# Reopen the file and close the "unnamed document 1" by clicking the circled x in the tab.

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= Scaling =

= Scaling =

We'd like to have an A4 drawing on which a scaled version of the 5000 x 1300 mm construction fits.

We'd like to have an A4 drawing on which a scaled version of the 5000 x 1300 mm construction fits.

Line 28:

Line 30:

A4 is 297 x 210 mm so if we make the 5000 mm be shown as a 250 mm long line we'd be set. That is a 1:20 scale.

A4 is 297 x 210 mm so if we make the 5000 mm be shown as a 250 mm long line we'd be set. That is a 1:20 scale.

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Via the menu Options/Current Drawing Preferences/Dimensions we can se the General Scale to 20 to achieve the scaling.

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Via the menu Options/Current Drawing Preferences/Dimensions we can set the General Scale to '''20''' to achieve the scaling. And set '''Landscape''' for the paper direction.

= Construction lines =

= Construction lines =

Line 38:

Line 40:

== Drawing Box ==

== Drawing Box ==

We'd like to create a 5000 x 1300 mm construction line drawing box in which our construction will be placed.

We'd like to create a 5000 x 1300 mm construction line drawing box in which our construction will be placed.

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# Hit space to enter the command line mode - the cursor will jump to the lower right corner and "Command" will be in blue

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Since we want precise positions for this box we'll use the [[A_short_manual_for_use_from_the_command_line#Using_the_Command_line|Command Line Mode]] and create a [[Polyline]].

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# Type polyline or "pl" - you'll now asked for the points

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# Hit space to enter the command line mode - the cursor will jump to the command box (bottom or lower right corner) and "Command" will be in blue (you can type '''clear''' in the command box if the state of things is not like that)

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# Specify first point: 0.0

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# Type '''polyline''' or "pl" - you'll now be asked for the points

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# Specify next point: 5000,0

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# Specify first point: '''0.0'''

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# Specify next point or <nowiki>[undo]</nowiki>: 5000,1300

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# Specify next point: '''5000,0'''

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# Specify next point or <nowiki>[close/undo]</nowiki>: 0,1300

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# Specify next point or <nowiki>[undo]</nowiki>: '''5000,1300'''

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# Specify next point or <nowiki>[close/undo]</nowiki>: close

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# Specify next point or <nowiki>[close/undo]</nowiki>: '''0,1300'''

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# Specify next point or <nowiki>[close/undo]</nowiki>: '''close'''

Zoom out with the View/AutoZoom menu item

Zoom out with the View/AutoZoom menu item

You should now see a 5 x 1.3 m rectangle at 1:20 scale

You should now see a 5 x 1.3 m rectangle at 1:20 scale

Line 53:

Line 56:

= Drawing the frame =

= Drawing the frame =

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For the frame we would like to create three rectangles that represent the sides of the frame.

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For the frame we would like to create three "rectangles" that represent the sides of the frame.

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Each side has 40 mm width, so we simply take the three corner of the triangle:

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Each side has 40 mm width, so we simply take the three corners of the triangle:

# 0,0

# 0,0

# 5000,0

# 5000,0

Line 65:

Line 68:

Add three more polylines in the default layer:

Add three more polylines in the default layer:

<pre>

<pre>

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Command: pl (polyline)

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pl

0,0

0,0

5000,0

5000,0

Line 89:

Line 92:

[[File:PrintPreviewExample.jpg|800px]]

[[File:PrintPreviewExample.jpg|800px]]

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You'll find a saved version up to this step in the file CarportEastStep1.dxf in the zip file mentioned above.

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You'll find a saved version up to this step in the file [[:File:CarportEastStep1.dxf]] or in the zip file mentioned above.

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== Adding the freehand sketch (optional) ==

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To support the transition from the free hand sketch to the LibreCAD CAD drawing you can optionally insert a scanned

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version of your freehand drawing as an image.

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# Click the "Insert Image" button

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# Select the file of the freehand drawing [[:File:CarportFreehand.jpg]]

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# position it where you like (e.g. on top of the drawing box)

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[[File:CarportExampleWithFreeHand.jpg|800px]]

= Drawing the support beams =

= Drawing the support beams =

Line 111:

Line 122:

* https://www.calculator.net/triangle-calculator.html

* https://www.calculator.net/triangle-calculator.html

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== Triangles for Beams ==

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== Construction Triangles for Beams ==

[[File:TriangleCalculatorExample.jpg]]

[[File:TriangleCalculatorExample.jpg]]

Line 147:

Line 158:

You'll find a saved version up to this step in the file CarportEastStep2.dxf in the zip file mentioned above.

You'll find a saved version up to this step in the file CarportEastStep2.dxf in the zip file mentioned above.

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== Drawing the beams ==

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For the beams we could now also calculate the points for the corresponding polygons. We do not need that much precision here so an alternative is to draw the beams with the mouse

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using our construction triangles as guiding lines.

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=== Drawing the beams using the mouse ===

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# select the default layer again

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# select the polyline tool [[File:Polylinetoolselection.jpg]]

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# for each of the three beam polylines you need to

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## click four times at the positions to get three sides of the beam outline

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# click "Close" in the tool option bar to complete the beam polyline back to the origin.

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see https://github.com/LibreCAD/LibreCAD/issues/1036 for the question how the close button could be improved

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=== Drawing the beams using the command line ===

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We can make the point calculation easier by using relative coordinates.

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We know

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# the lengths of the beams

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## 363 mm

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## 845 mm

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## 1050 mmm

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# the x cooordinates

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## 1443 mm

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## 3359 mm

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## 4174 mm

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# the angle 104.57 degreess

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# the width of the beams: 30 mm

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<pre>

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1443,0

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@30,0

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@363<104.57

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@-30,0

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close

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3359,0

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@30,0

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@845<104.57

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@-30,0

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close

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4174,0

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@30,0

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@1050<104.57

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@-30,0

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close

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</pre>

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== Beams result ==

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The basic construction elements are now in place.

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[[File:CarportExampleStep3.jpg|800px]]

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You'll find a saved version up to this step in the file CarportEastStep3.dxf in the zip file mentioned above.

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= Drawing Dimensions =

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We'll draw the [[Dimensions]] with [[A_short_manual_for_use_from_the_command_line#Drawing_aligned_dimension|precise values using the command box]]

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<pre>

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da

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0,0

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5000,0

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0,-100

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</pre>

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[[File:CarportExampleDimensions1.png|800px]]

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We keep adding dimensions:

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<pre>

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da

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5000,0

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5000,1300

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5100,0

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</pre>

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[[File:CarportExampleDimensions2.png|800px]]

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You'll find a saved version up to this step in the file CarportEastStep4.dxf in the zip file mentioned above.

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[[Category:Usage]]

Revision as of 22:04, 2 December 2018

This page presents a simple sequence of creating a basic drawing, from a blank document to a printed design. It assumes that you have installed LibreCAD and have opened it to a new default blank drawing. It introduces quite a few LibreCAD concepts, and links to other pages that explain these.

You can download and unzip File:Carport.zip to compare your results with what the authors of this document saved.

Save the default "unnamed document 1" as "CarportEast" using the "File/Save" Menu

Check that the save was successful by Quitting LibreCAD, and restarting it. The saved file "CarportEast.dxf" should show up in the "File/Recent Files" Menu

Reopen the file and close the "unnamed document 1" by clicking the circled x in the tab.

Scaling

We'd like to have an A4 drawing on which a scaled version of the 5000 x 1300 mm construction fits.

A4 is 297 x 210 mm so if we make the 5000 mm be shown as a 250 mm long line we'd be set. That is a 1:20 scale.

Via the menu Options/Current Drawing Preferences/Dimensions we can set the General Scale to 20 to achieve the scaling. And set Landscape for the paper direction.

Construction lines

The first lines of any technical drawing are the construction lines, setting out the locations of all lines without specifying any line types, colours, etc. All straight construction lines are of 'infinite' length — i.e. they extend off the screen in both directions.

Create a new Construction layer by clicking the "+" sign in the Layer list. The new layer might have a name such as 'construction', and a colour of magenta or cyan or similar. The line's width should be '0'.

Drawing Box

We'd like to create a 5000 x 1300 mm construction line drawing box in which our construction will be placed.
Since we want precise positions for this box we'll use the Command Line Mode and create a Polyline.

Hit space to enter the command line mode - the cursor will jump to the command box (bottom or lower right corner) and "Command" will be in blue (you can type clear in the command box if the state of things is not like that)

Type polyline or "pl" - you'll now be asked for the points

Specify first point: 0.0

Specify next point: 5000,0

Specify next point or [undo]: 5000,1300

Specify next point or [close/undo]: 0,1300

Specify next point or [close/undo]: close

Zoom out with the View/AutoZoom menu item
You should now see a 5 x 1.3 m rectangle at 1:20 scale

Try printing the page with File/Print - the printout should be empty since the construction layer will not be printed

Drawing the frame

For the frame we would like to create three "rectangles" that represent the sides of the frame.
Each side has 40 mm width, so we simply take the three corners of the triangle:

Should you have made a typing error you might want to use the "undo" command to remove the latest drawing item that didn't go as you intended.

You might want to save your result with File/Save.
This time if you print things out with File/Print the result should be visible.
You can also check what the print looks like with File/Print Preview which will open up a new tab

Construction Triangles for Beams

press space to enter the command mode (type clear if you want to get rid of old commands shown)

enter the polygon for the triangle:

pl
0,0
1443,0
@363<104.57
close

The values are from the triangle calculator.

0,0 is the start point

1443 is the x position at which the 363 mm long beam leave the x axis

it leaves at an angle of 75.43 which we have to enter anti-clock wise with makes it 104.57 (90 degrees more than the frames 14.57 angle) the new point is to be calculated relatively so we have used the @ symbol to denote this, the < symbol denotes that we are specifing a polar coordinate.

We repeat this for our other beams

0,0
3359,0
@845<104.57
close
0,0
4174,0
@1050<104.57
close

and end up with:

You'll find a saved version up to this step in the file CarportEastStep2.dxf in the zip file mentioned above.

Drawing the beams

For the beams we could now also calculate the points for the corresponding polygons. We do not need that much precision here so an alternative is to draw the beams with the mouse
using our construction triangles as guiding lines.

Drawing the beams using the mouse

select the default layer again

select the polyline tool

for each of the three beam polylines you need to

click four times at the positions to get three sides of the beam outline

click "Close" in the tool option bar to complete the beam polyline back to the origin.